Wolfberry workshop to bring rod pumping experts together

by NoneMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, October 17, 2009

By Bill Modisett

Special to the Oil Report

It's a scenario familiar to most oil producers in the Midland and Odessa area: A new oil well is drilled into the Spraberry and at first produces as it should, but over time the flow begins to decrease significantly.

Sand begins to create problems for the company and to push up costs. The well can be deepened from 7,000 to 10,000 feet, but such a decision raises other lift concerns. A pump that can provide proper lift from 7,000 feet may not be able to do the same from 10,000 feet.

The problems associated with rod pumping the Wolfberry are known to about everybody in the oil business in the area. According to those in the industry, the Wolfberry has proven to be one of the toughest applications for rod pumping and many producers rod pump the formation with varying degrees of frustration and success.

To address some of the problems oil producers have encountered when rod pumping the Wolfberry Trend, SPIRIT Global Energy Solutions will present a day-long symposium on "Rod Pumping the Wolfberry: Lessons Learned/Best Practices" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Midland College Advanced Technology Center Lecture Hall, 3200 W. Cuthbert.

"We want to get everybody together to talk this over," Matt Raglin of SPIRIT Global Energy Solutions said. "By holding this seminar, we can bring people together to mitigate some problems and reduce some costs."

Marlene Leonard, also with SPIRIT Global Energy Solutions, noted that by reducing costs associated with rod pumping the Wolfberry, companies will be left with more money to direct to their other projects.

Topics to be discussed include pumping solids/sand, gas separation, corrosion — paraffin, when to go lower and to what depth, pumping unit size, and optimum design.

Leonard said the symposium has been limited to 110 participants and to five participants per company. Already, she said, some companies have requested that more employees be allowed to participate per company.

Those attending the symposium must be employed by a producer or operating company with producing wells in the Wolfberry Trend. Both the symposium registration fee and buffet lunch are being sponsored by SPIRIT Global Energy Solutions.

The Petroleum Professional Development Center will provide CEU certificates showing .8 CEU's and 8 PDH's. To register for the symposium, go to the PPDC website: www.midland.edu/ppdc.

Raglin stressed the workshop is an attempt to hone in on the practices and processes that are proven to work and have ultimately led to longer run times and less failures.